Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson proposed using state data to keep Michigan residents enrolled in Medicaid at a south Lansing roundtable Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The plan would replace repeated eligibility reverification with information the state already collects.

Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor, laid out the proposal at a healthcare event hosted by state Sen. Sarah Anthony, who chairs the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee. About half a dozen residents shared stories of rising premiums, deductibles and wait times, WLNS reported. One participant said federal Medicaid changes could push hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents off coverage.

Benson also proposed an independent prescription drug affordability board, a $5,000 tax credit for caregivers and a requirement that hospitals disclose costs upfront. She called healthcare the defining issue of her campaign.

"That's what it means to make sure government's a helping hand and not an obstacle course," Benson said at the event, which C-SPAN live-streamed.

She said she has begun discussing the Medicaid data-matching approach with other governors and would open state outreach sites in communities to sign people up in person. She compared the idea to changes she made at Secretary of State branch offices.

Several of the proposals are not new. Benson first announced the drug affordability board and caregiver tax credit in January. Both ideas revive priorities from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration, according to MLive. The Michigan Senate passed drug affordability board legislation in 2025 with some bipartisan support, but the bills have not moved in the House.

Benson did not explain how she would pay to maintain Medicaid coverage if federal funding is reduced, saying she would find room in the budget.

The roundtable comes as Michigan residents face steep insurance cost increases. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025, cut Medicaid funding and allowed enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace tax credits to expire in December 2025.

Michigan's 2026 ACA marketplace premiums rose an average of 58%, with 2027 increases projected between 12.5% and 25.5%, according to a Bridge Michigan fact-check published Sept. 1.

Republican nominee U.S. Rep. John James voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill and against reactivating the enhanced ACA tax credits in January 2026, according to the same Bridge Michigan report. James presented his own healthcare legislation, the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, at a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing June 10. The bill would require hospitals to make pricing easier for patients to compare.

Whitmer is term-limited. The general election between Benson and James is Nov. 3.